Welcome to Scholaris

By subscribing to the NESA News, you will receive the latest updates and information as soon as it becomes available. 

Subscribe to the NESA News here

NESA Official Notices

NESA Official Notices can be accessed here

NESA Timetable of action for secondary schools

Timetable of action for secondary schools can be accessed here

Ministerial Media Release

The Ministerial Media release in regard to the Completion of 2025 HSC examinations can be accessed here

HSC showcase nominations and selections

Students across NSW will receive news if they have been nominated or selected for an HSC showcase from this week.  

Nominations are out this week for:

• ARTEXPRESS bodies of work
• OnSTAGE projects
• Young Writers major works.

Professional Learning

AERO Webinar: Writing Matters (Ref: 277/25)

The Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO) has launched the School Writing Instruction Framework (SWIF) to support school leaders and teachers in providing high-quality, evidence-based writing instruction across all subject areas from upper primary to secondary levels.

In a recent national webinar hosted by AERO, Christine Jackson, AERO Principal Researcher, was joined by Rebecca Birch (English Teacher and Academic in Residence) and Lara Harvey (Head of PDHPE) from Queenwood School for Girls (NSW). Together, they explored how the framework is being implemented in classrooms and the positive outcomes it is generating for both teachers and students.

Christine outlined the research foundations of the framework, while Rebecca and Lara shared practical insights from their experience using SWIF to enhance writing instruction across disciplines.

Watch the full webinar, including the interactive Q&A, to learn more about how SWIF is transforming writing instruction in Australian schools.

Access the School Writing Instruction Framework here:

School writing instruction framework | Australian Education Research Organisation

Campion College Graduate Certificate of Religious Education (Secondary) Courses Open for 2026 Enrolments (Ref: 270/25)

The Campion Grad Cert RE (Secondary) immerses secondary teachers in the most effective religious education pedagogies designed specifically for engaging adolescent students, including the Catholic Liberal Arts approach, the Wonder and Awe approach inspired by Fr Luigi Giussani, and the Lectio Divina pedagogical approach. 

The well-established Campion Grad Cert RE (Primary) is also available for teachers to satisfy religious accreditation requirements. There is flexibility in the Grad Cert RE program for groups of teachers to study together. Teachers from the same school or diocese can study together in the same online class. Some face-to-face intensives are also offered – these intensives can also be facilitated for a cohort within a diocese.

To learn more about the Graduate Certificates in Religious Education, click here. 

For more information go to: https://www.campion.edu.au/course/postgrad/

AERO Videos of practice: Teaching for how students learn (Ref: 266/25) 

The Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO) has developed a model of learning and teaching that identifies the most effective teaching practices based off of research on how students learn.

AERO has also provided videos of this Teaching model demonstrated in the classroom as a helpful resource for teachers on what this model looks like in practice and how it maximises effective learning for students.

This collection includes:

• practice videos, which focus on a specific teaching practice in diverse contexts, learning areas and with students of varying ages.
• long lesson videos, which feature extended sequences of teaching from a lesson to show how evidence-based practices work together.

To access AERO's Model for Learning of Teaching and Videos of Practice, click here. 
 

Parent and Carer webinar: The Changing Face of Cyberbullying (Ref: 265/25)

Council of Catholic School Parents NSW/ACT invites you to join their Online Safety webinar this coming Wednesday, 12 November 2025.

Presented by the e-Safety Commission, the topic of the webinar will be on the "Changing Face of Cyberbullying", unpacking how online harm is evolving, and what parents and carers can do to help protect their children from this growing threat.

This 45-minute webinar will cover:

• Recognising the signs that your child may be experiencing or engaging in cyberbullying
• Building protective factors at home  
• How to support your child with practical strategies to respond, report, and stay safe in a fast-changing digital world.

Date: Wednesday, 12 November 
Time: 7:00 PM - 7:45 PM AEDT

To register, click here: Registration

Student Resources 

Celebrate National Ag Day with Free Smart Farming virtual classroom (Ref: 275/25)

The Smart Farming Virtual Classroom is back for Term 4 ahead of National Ag Day on 21 November.

Facilitated by a qualified KE teacher, each free 30-minute interactive learning experience connects students directly with real farmers, offering a unique opportunity for first-hand learning about agriculture and sustainability.

Features include:

• free, 30-minute lessons aligned with Science and HASS outcomes;
• tailored sessions for Lower and Upper Primary;
• access to a range of classroom-ready resources; and
• engaging quizzes and a live Q&A with a real farmer.

Book your free session here at: Smart Farming

Explore additional resources, including posters and student worksheets, through Australian Good Meat Education, offering a wide range of curriculum-aligned materials for primary schools.

To view the Australian Good Meat Education Resources, click here. 

School Updates & Newsletters 

Pope Leo XIV Releases Apostolic Letter on education: 'Drawing New Maps of Hope' (Ref: 273/25) 

On the 60th anniversary of the Conciliar Declaration Gravissimum educationis, Pope Leo XIV has released a new Apostolic Letter titled Drawing New Maps of Hope.

In this Letter, the Holy Father reaffirms the continuing relevance of the Second Vatican Council’s Declaration on Catholic Education, noting that the document “has lost none of its potency.” He highlights the enduring mission of Catholic Education as a vital expression of the Church’s maternal and teaching role in the world today.

Pope Leo XIV reflects on the Church’s vocation as one of service rather than supremacy, reminding educators that “the Church is ‘mother and teacher’ not by supremacy, but through service: she accompanies the growth of freedom, taking on the mission of the Divine Master so that everyone ‘may have life, and have it abundantly’ (Jn 10:10).”

The Letter celebrates the diverse educational traditions that have flourished through the centuries, each shaped by the vision of the human person as the image of God, called to truth and goodness. Educational charisms, the Pope writes, are never rigid formulas but “original responses to the needs of each era,” ensuring that Catholic education remains a living, creative force in the pursuit of wisdom, faith, and human flourishing.

To view Pope Leo's Apostolic Letter Drawing New Maps of Hope, click here.

Revised Teacher Accreditation Manual - Updates for Early Childhood (Ref: 260/25)

Please note the following updates to the revised Teacher Accreditation Manual for early childhood teacher accreditation. 

Ensuring quality education: NESA strengthens early childhood teacher qualification requirements

The NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) is strengthening the early childhood qualification requirements for becoming an accredited teacher in NSW, as outlined in a revised Teacher Accreditation Manual.

From Semester 1, 2026, anyone applying for teacher accreditation for the first time, whether they are qualified to work in schools or early childhood services, must have completed a minimum of a 4-year qualification or equivalent.​ 

This means that courses such as a 1-year Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate in early childhood education, even if ACECQA approved, will only be recognised when they form part of a complete 4-year qualification package. For example, an applicant for accreditation could combine a 1-year ACECQA-approved early childhood Graduate Diploma with a 3-year bachelor’s degree to meet the requirement for accreditation as a teacher. This combination of qualifications will be sufficient to work in centre-based early childhood services. 

Students who have already commenced a 1-year ACECQA-approved early childhood teaching qualification, or who start one before Semester 1, 2026, without a 3-year bachelor’s degree, will not be affected by this change.

Read more about these changes with the factsheet

NESA has revised the NSW Teacher Accreditation (TA) Manual

Students Step into Financial Futures Through Innovative Industry Partnership (267/25) 

This groundbreaking initiative connects classroom learning in VET Financial Services directly to real-world experience, giving students authentic insight into the skills, expectations, and opportunities within the financial sector. It’s more than a bridge — it’s a jumper-lead — energising students’ pathways into the workforce.

The Financial Services Virtual Work Placement program demonstrates what’s possible when collaboration, innovation, and opportunity align. It’s helping young people in Catholic schools across NSW see their potential and inspiring the next generation of financial professionals.

As this partnership continues to grow, one thing is clear: together, education and industry are building futures worth celebrating.

Legal and Policy

Major civil penalty for breach of privacy (Ref: 172/25) 

The Federal Court's recent decision in Australian Information Commissioner v Australian Clinical Labs (No 2) [2025] FCA 1224 is a warning for all organisations that need to comply with privacy laws.  The case resulted in the first civil penalty under the Privacy Act. 

Australian Clinical Labs Limited (ACL) was ordered by the Federal Court to pay $5.8 million for a data breach affecting sensitive health information of over 223,000 individuals. Relevantly, ACL failed to ensure proper security systems were in place, failed to assess the breach and notify the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (Commissioner) in time. 

The case demonstrates the Commissioner’s intention to seek penalties in relation to privacy breaches.  It is an important reminder to schools that they must ensure that the personal and sensitive information they hold is appropriately secured.

What this means for schools

Schools should:

• assess the security of systems which hold personal information;
• ensure you have the capability to monitor your systems for data breaches;
• be aware of your responsibility to conduct an assessment where you suspect there may have been an eligible data breach and take reasonable steps to complete the assessment within 30 days; and
• notify the Commissioner (report a data breach here) as soon as practicable where you have reasonable grounds to believe there has been an eligible data breach.

For more information about this case and about the steps schools need to take in responding to data breaches, check out the following resources:

• A turning point: Federal Court provides guidance in first-ever civil penalty proceeding under the Privacy Act | DLA Piper
• Privacy guidance for organisations and government agencies | OAIC
• Notifiable data breaches | OAIC

YouTube Ban for Students Under 16 in Schools (Ref: 271/25)